A weight discussion: how far is too far?

[Beanie]

Auggie you can't hardly tell a darn thing because he's got all that fur. You can see a bit since they shaved his belly down for his bladder surgery:

His waist is teeny tiny. When you put your hands on him, he typically has a layer of muscle over his chest... right now he doesn't have as much because we've ramped down the GO GO GO GO GO part of agility training so the muscle tone is going down.



And the Payton... this was a few months ago.

I don't have any pics of him straight on from above, but his hip bones stick out and his waist is tiny, like Auggie's, but REALLY tiny... he's lanky and thin and little and I really wish he had a bit more weight on him. I have gotten a SMIDGE more on him in the past month. I know he will muscle out from this point, and hopefully that will help, because he's just so frickin' thin.

I put my hands on my dogs all the time though... I have to due to the fur. I can't go by looks. So I have a really good idea of what they should FEEL like rather than look like. Payton doesn't quite feel right. Auggie feels a bit mushy right now, but unless I start running him on my treadmill (or buy us a hydrotherapy tank, hahaha!) he is going to for about another month/month and a half.

 

[Dekka]

This is true, but muscle has other benefits, like supporting joints and burning calories, that fat lacks. That's why I prefer presence of muscle but absence of fat - and why if my dog stays at 37 lbs but goes from pudgy to muscular, I still think she's better than her 37 lbs chubby.

But even better would be to bring her down to 35 lbs while still upping the muscle and peeling off the fat.

In that post I did say fit was better than fat. But to keep dogs extra muscled by doing doggy body building wasn't doing joints any favours. If your dog is nice and muscled and lean from running, jumping, working etc that is likely healthier than people who put muscle on just for the appearance of the thing.

 

[Miakoda]

The thing is joints don't know the difference between 5 pounds of fat and 5 pounds of muscle. My guys get all muscley from doing sports, not from doggy body building so I don't worry too much. A fit dog will be healthier over all, but joint wear is going to suck on the over muscled dogs too.

Good point to bring up!

I know that I usually use a 8-10 week conditioning program to get a dig into hunting shape. At that point, the dog is lean and muscled and at his peak physically and mentally. That is not a stage that one would or should keep a dog at for long periods of time.

But one should keep their dog at a healthy weight and body condition with proper nutrition AND exercise.

 

[Dakotah]

Am I the only one looking at this thread just to see the pictures of the dogs posted and just not giving a flying poo about the actual thread topic? :lol-sign:

Once I get my own dog, I can get move involved in these threads but for now, I am just looking at the doggy pics lol

 

[Zhucca]

Fat:

Slim:

Perfect:

I think everyone at Chazhound has really good looking dogs. Some are a bit chunkier, some a bit more of a lean machine.. but all are healthy and fall within normal zones and are not extreme IMHO. Some dogs are just built differently. Duke is a pain to put muscle on 'cause he was neutered at 5 months. McGruff was neutered at 10 months and the difference is huge. Boomer is intact and would look fantastic if he shed 10-7lbs. I agree with other posters in this thread though.. if I were to have my pick I'd much rather have a little too skinny than a little too fat. I think stardogs' crew looks great, traveler, harleigh, balto, keeva, Zuma.. etc.. are in my preferred physique area. Duke is a bit fat now 'cause he really beefed up recently. I've been overfeeding him for a long time and it was just going straight into waste for awhile and all of a sudden - BAM! fatty mcfat fat. I still think he looks good though.. looks "normal" if not a little slim to other people.

 

[SizzleDog]

Revy's coat hides how thin she is. Granted, with an EPI dog the focus is top put weight ON instead of taking it off... but at the moment, she's in great shape. She's a dog that carries a lot of muscle, but it's hidden due to coat. If you saw ribs/hipbones on her, she'd be far too thin.

I think Kaylee looks just fine in these photos... and less weight and she looks poorly-kept.

Jayne might be a little squishy right now, but I still like him.

Of course, Ronin was a gorgeous hard-bodied dog. Wish he was still around to enjoy all that muscle.

... I'm sure some of you think my dogs are too pudgy, and that's fine. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion. But I think they're just fine, and it's my opinion - about my own dogs under my own care - that matters the most.

 

[JacksonsMom]

Perfect:

*drools*

I wanted to add, too, that Jackson eats a ton! He's just a naturally fairly skinny dog (but he's definitely not TOO skinny, IMO) and seems to never gain weight. Whereas Buddy, the Doxy mix, can just LOOK at food and gain a pound, LOL.

 

[Lizmo]

I like on the lean side and fit. I think both my guys are in perfect condition body/fat/muscle wise. Lizzie has a very nice tuck and Blaze is more square-ish type, but still a nice tuck. I can feel ribs with ease. I always thought of feeling my dogs' ribs like feeling the knuckles on my hand - just a thin layer of skin over them.

 

[*blackrose]

I think I like an average looking dog. LOL

Kiba was, in my opinion, in great shape. Could use a bit more muscle, but at a good weight for his body type:

Levi, too, was in what I deemed perfect shape for his body type. He had a distinct rib cage, even though it doesn't look like much due to his body type:

They were also both intact males, which I expect to be more muscled and leaner than your average dog.

Cora's weight is where I'm most comfortable with my non-smooth coated dogs. I wouldn't want her to gain much more (although it is currently winter, so we're letting them round up if they'd like) and if she lost a few I wouldn't be concerned.

I can feel her ribs easily and she has a distinct waist, which I like.

Chloe is so fluffy you can't really tell, but she has a similar build to Cora:

She recently put on about five pounds and I've been working to get that off as that tipped her over to the "round" side and I was not happy with that. I've gotten three of the five off and she's now just on the tubby side of my preference. She could loose another five and I'd be happy, but she's okay where she is now. I can feel her ribs with light pressure, she's just horribly out of shape.

 

[elegy]

This is a somewhat soggy Steve today. He's running 39-40 pounds right now, which is right where I think he should be. I used to really struggle to keep weight on him. Maturity and a raw diet are really helping in that department.

I had to smile- I handed him off to a fairly new guy at flyball practice last weekend to hold for restrained recalls. He was all shocked by how *dense* Steve actually is. He said he always looks so skinny and light, but he's SOLID. Solid like a freaking freight train. Uh huh.

Mushroom from over the summer. He's fat. (And poorly designed.) I own it. I've stopped fighting with him over those five pounds.

Luce, not as svelte as she used to be, but nowhere near as active anymore, either. I can feel her ribs easily, but she's lost a fair bit of muscle.

 

[SpringerLover]

I like lean and fit but I have difficulty keeping my elderlies where I want. It's a fine line balance between too thin, too thick, and not enough muscle. Hrmph!

I'm looking for pictures. I have a few in mind but can't seem to find them right now!

 

[Tahla9999]

Fran, that Lab you posted is built perfectly for the job required for it. Throw a dog condition like an APBT into freezing cold water and it wouldn't last more than a minute. Some dogs are design to carry more weight then one required for a slim dog. Some breeds can be condition to their finest and not look it simply due to bone structure. It differs for each breed. Lab standard calls for little or no tuck. Condition a bench lab and no way would it look like an APBT.

Old time working Lab

Working APBT

I wouldn't call those Labs fat, but an APBT that way IS a fat dog due to different structure.

 

[AllieMackie]

Allie, can we compare Finn and Eve's pedigrees sometime? Curious to see what is in both of them. They have a similar build now that they've both grown up.

I've wanted to compare their pedigrees for awhile! I just keep forgetting. :rofl1: They both look very structurally similar now, it's cool!

 

[Gypsydals]

I like lean and fit but I have difficulty keeping my elderlies where I want. It's a fine line balance between too thin, too thick, and not enough muscle. Hrmph!

I'm looking for pictures. I have a few in mind but can't seem to find them right now!

That is the problem I seem to be running into lately. I've pretty much given up on getting peewee slimmed down to a correct weight, we just maintain his current weight. Ivan always gets chubby in the winter(he would so love living in FL or any other warmer state that does not have a winter. Lol

 

[BostonBanker]

These are some of the most recent photos I have where they aren't wearing coats. I'm pretty happy with both of them right now; obviously, Gusto is very young to have any real muscle mass, but he's at a weight I'm very comfortable with and getting stronger all the time. Meg has a lot of loose skin and a pretty dense coat, so she will never be the gleaming ball of muscle many APBT are, but she's got rock hard muscles in her legs, a powerful core, and is at what I consider a great weight for her.

I actually wonder if those jaw-dropping photos of really nice looking APBT don't affect how we see our dogs, much as photobrushed pictures of models affect how we view ourselves/others. I read some model saying she goes on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to a runway show and consumes nothing in the 12 hours before it. If people are not feeding/watering before shows/photoshoots for their dogs, it is really creating the same un-attainable (at least in a healthy manner) goal some people may be setting for their dogs.

 

[JacksonsMom]

I actually wonder if those jaw-dropping photos of really nice looking APBT don't affect how we see our dogs, much as photobrushed pictures of models affect how we view ourselves/others. I read some model saying she goes on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to a runway show and consumes nothing in the 12 hours before it. If people are not feeding/watering before shows/photoshoots for their dogs, it is really creating the same un-attainable (at least in a healthy manner) goal some people may be setting for their dogs.

:thumbsupsmileyanim:

I definitely think that can be the case.

 

[JacksonsMom]

for example, healthy as this dog may be, I would PERSONALLY not want a dog that looks like this:

I prefer this look still healthy, still not fat, but not 100% muscle/ 0% body fat either lol

I completely agree with you. I think the 2nd dog looks way better than the 1st.

 

[AdrianneIsabel]

Yup.

 

[PWCorgi]

I actually wonder if those jaw-dropping photos of really nice looking APBT don't affect how we see our dogs, much as photobrushed pictures of models affect how we view ourselves/others. I read some model saying she goes on a liquid diet for 2 weeks prior to a runway show and consumes nothing in the 12 hours before it. If people are not feeding/watering before shows/photoshoots for their dogs, it is really creating the same un-attainable (at least in a healthy manner) goal some people may be setting for their dogs.

This is absolutely true, at least in my case. And it was completely unrealistic.

 

[Emily]

If people are not feeding/watering before shows/photoshoots for their dogs, it is really creating the same un-attainable (at least in a healthy manner) goal some people may be setting for their dogs.

Well, lazy people are doing that... certainly not everyone. My friend conditions her dogs up with work, not withholding food and water, and she's told me that good judges will lift the dogs' skin to make sure they're not dehydrated. It's certainly not necessary to withhold food and water to get them fitted up.

Honestly, I have accepted that Mackenzy is not going to look like that any time soon, and that's fine. She's still capable of running 10 miles next to my bike, and swimming for hours straight.

Keeva isn't either going to look like that either, but she will be kept quite thin as I expect to do a lot with her and I want to spare her joints and spine. Right now she just is what she is; I'm not trying to condition her because she's just a pup.